It is my belief that for almost two years this blog has been identifying ways for athletics organizations – teams on the field, business units off the field and behind the scenes, and partnerships cultivated outside of the stadiums – to apply quality concepts in order to function optimally. In addition, there are many instances where those silos end up impacting one another.

First, we start with the basic premise that athletics organizations are small businesses with unique product offerings. A traditional small business and a sports organization will employ small staffs of employees, some of whom are considered temporary labor. They feature typical business functions like operations, maintenance, marketing, accounting, finance, human resources, supply chains, logistics, and so forth.

We also recognize that all businesses have processes – some add value, some not so much. Just as a small business has processes that add value for customers, sports organizations have business processes. Inherent in all business processes are elements of inefficiency.

That’s where quality concepts are applicable – we can use quality to improve those processes and optimize the customer experience through Lean, Six Sigma, training, defect reduction, root cause analysis, acting on customer feedback, and so on.

How are customers directly impacted by poor quality with sports organizations?

Unfortunately, the sports industry tends to be the slowest when it comes to implementing new business ideologies. As a result, the industry remains ripe with opportunities for improving the partnership with customers.

I’m part of the ASQ Influential Voices program. While I receive an honorarium from ASQ for my commitment, the thoughts and opinions expressed on my blog are my own.